Vanilla a sweet surprise in savory Papantla chicken

May 22, 2008|By ELAINE LOUIE The New York Times

On a visit to Papantla, a small city in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, Zarela Martinez visited a club of retired women, each 65 or older, or what the locals call "people of the third age," she says. The women kept local traditions in cooking, dancing and needlework alive, and introduced them to outsiders.

Martinez, the New York restaurateur and cookbook author, was offered a plate of chicken legs browned and simmered in a glossy sauce flavored with orange juice, a bit of vinegar, garlic, chilies and vanilla.

"I had never had vanilla in a savory setting," she says. "It was an epiphany of sorts - sweet, sour, spicy and floral. The vanilla gives both a sweetness and a floral scent."

Vanilla has grown in Mexico at least since the time of the Aztecs. Montezuma drank tlilxochitl, made from cacao beans flavored with vanilla. But even there, vanilla is used mostly in sweets, with dishes like Papantla's chicken an exception.

For the home cook, Martinez had this advice: "It's almost better the second day."

It should be warmed, covered, so the sauce doesn't dry up, in a 350-degree oven 15 minutes. For this recipe, Martinez substitutes cayenne for the chilies of Veracruz, simply because cayenne is easier to find.

Season chicken with the salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces, skin-side down, and brown, turning once 3 to 5 minutes until golden on both sides.

When chicken is browned, pour off any excess fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Sprinkle cayenne and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper over chicken, turning pieces to coat evenly. Taste a piece of the skin, and add more cayenne if additional heat is desired. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add vinegar, butter and orange juice. Scrape in pulp of vanilla bean and add bean. Stir liquid to blend.

Cook chicken, skin-side up, uncovered, basting occasionally with sauce, 20 to 25 minutes, until sauce is reduced to a syrupy glaze. If interior of chicken needs further cooking (it should be 170 degrees when tested in center with an instant-read thermometer), cover and cook over medium-low heat an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or as needed. Garnish with cilantro. Makes 2 to 3 servings.